Yarn Club

Watch this step by step video on how to make the mitered square coasters in kit 3 learn to knit or to refresh your knitting skills.

Anatomy of a Mitered Square

Let’s jump right into a technique called mitered knitting, also commonly referred to as modular or domino knitting. This way of knitting gets its name from the series of central decreases worked at the midpoint of every other row, causing the mitered corner to emerge diagonally until a perfect square is formed.

This technique is easy to grasp and it offers tremendous possibilities for creative expression. Mitered squares can be made with virtually any stitch pattern of your choice, and colorwork to name just a few. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

As illustrated, the basic mitered square is achieved by working a series of decreases on alternate rows worked which are positioned at the center. When your work decreases on either side of this marker, this causes the stitches to create a little point in the middle of the work as you can see on the needle above. As you continue to work the decreases, and you have fewer stitches on the needle, eventually this turns into a perfect little square.

Creating Your First Mitered Square

In this example, we will cast on an even number of stitches to make a 4 x 4-inch square. This requires that you cast on 32 stitches. To create the decreases at the center, the first row is considered a “set-up row” and looks like this:

Row 1 (set-up row) (WS): K16, pm, k16.

If you’re willing to do a little math, you can see that 16 x 2 = 32 stitches, which is our cast-on number. Understanding this, you can vary the cast-on row to make your squares bigger or smaller. Just remember to cast on an even number so you can have the same number of stitches on each side of the marker. Have fun experimenting!

The next step is to work the next row, which is the right side of the work and is a decrease row. It looks like this:

Row 2 (RS): Knit to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, sm, ssk; knit to end.

Tip: A little trick to remember the right side of the work, is to place a safety pin so you don’t forget. This is especially useful when you’re working in one color because sometimes it can be hard to remember!

Once you understand these two techniques, you’ll be on your way to merrily making miters! You can make mitered squares any size, and in any color combination that you like.